San Francisco County CA

Biography of Lyttleton Price

Michigan has contributed its full share toward the intellectual progress of the new west. As many Michigan men are to be found in places of trust and responsibility, in the learned professions and in the higher circles of business, in the Rockies and beyond them, as men from any state in the Union. Lyttleton Price, who is part owner and manager of the Red Cloud and Solace groups of mines, is a prominent Idaho lawyer and politician, a resident of Hailey and a native of Macomb County, Michigan. He was born twenty miles northeast of Detroit, May 4, 1848, a … Read more

Biography of William P. Boyd

WILLIAM P. BOYD. – The subject of this sketch is the senior member of the well-known dry-goods house of W.P. Boyd & Co., of Seattle. Mr. Boyd was born in Belfast, Ireland, April 2, 1849, and is of the hardy Scotch-Irish race that believe in themselves, and through their own exertions have done much towards the building up of the Pacific Northwest. Our subject, when but fifteen years of age, was apprenticed with a large dry-goods, mercantile firm in his native city, and served four years, afterwards being a salesman with the same firm. In the fall of 1869, Mr. … Read more

Biography of Laurits Walse Therkelsen

Laurits Walse Therkelsen was born in Denmark, twelve miles east of Copenhagen, in 1842. He had limited educational advantages and early in life became apprenticed to the carpenter’s trade, at which he worked in his native town until he arrived at the age of eighteen years when he came to America, and, in 1861, landed in San Francisco. Here for the next ten years he followed his trade with the exception of one year at San Jose, when he engaged in contracting. In 1871, he came to Portland and for ten years following was largely engaged in contracting and building … Read more

Biographical Sketch of Horace W. Amphlett

Brilliant futures are In store for some of San Mateo county’s young men. Among these is H. W. Amphlett, formerly assistant postmaster of San Mateo and amateur playwright. Famed not only for his literary talents but admired for his sterling character, rare personality and keen ability, Horace Amphlett easily takes a place among the best liked young men on the peninsula. After acquiring his early education in the San Francisco schools, Mr. Amphlett continued his studies in San Mateo graduating from the local high school in 1908. He immediately went Into the postoffice and in only two years he worked … Read more

Biography of Thomas J. Holmes

Well remembered by all of the older citizens of Portland and prominently identified with the earlier political and commercial history of the city was Thomas J. Holmes. He was born in Diss, county of Norfolk, England, March 3, 1819, and was a son of William and Mary A. Holmes. His father was a mechanic, who, with the hope of improving his fortunes, migrated to the United States with his family in 1830, and settled in New York City. At this time, Thomas, a bright, robust lad of eleven years, began life’s battle for himself. He secured a position with a … Read more

Biography of Texas Angel

Since the town of Hailey was hardly more than a collection of tents Texas Angel has been numbered among its citizens and has successfully engaged in the practice of law, winning many notable lawsuits wherein he has demonstrated the possession of legal powers of high order. A native of the Empire state, he was born in Angelica, New York, October 19, 1839, and is a representative of one of the oldest families of New England. Hardly had the Mayflower deposited its precious cargo upon the shores of America, at Plymouth Rock, when the ancestors of our subject, people of Welsh … Read more

Biography of Eugene Charlie Cottier

Eugene Charlie Cottier who owns a plumbing and tinning establishment at No. 37 B Street, San Mateo, is a man who did not learn his trade “from the ground up” but “from the box up.” He was just a youngster in short pants when he first took up the solder irons, and in order to work on the high bench he had to stand on a soap box. This old shop in Minneapolis where he learned his primary lessons in the trade, still stands; and Mr. Cottier is still known to the old hands there as the man who learned … Read more

Biography of Marcellus Marcus Pietrzycki, M.D.

MARCELLUS MARCUS PIETRZYCKI, M.D. – Doctor Pietrzycki, the well-known surgeon, was born April 25, 1843, in Horodyszeze, Sambor District, Galicia, Austria, and was educated as an apothecary and chemist. He came to the United States in 1866, before the Austro-Prussian war. He engaged, soon after his arrival in the United States, as assistant and prescription clerk with Doctor Arnold of Hazelton, Pennsylvania, who had a very extensive coal-mining practice, and remained with him for one year studying medicine. He emigrated to California in the fall of 1867, and settled in San Francisco, receiving the appointment as an apothecary in the … Read more

Biography of John Rose

John Rose, who for several years had been numbered among the leading oil producers in Montgomery County fields, and resided at Independence, is a thoroughly practical as well as successful man, as his career indicates. When only thirteen he started out for himself, and had since hewed his way through difficulties, through poverty, to a successful position in the world. He was born February 26, 1861, near Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, and is of Scotch parentage. His father, James Rose, was born in Scotland in 1822, was reared and learned the trade of stone mason in his native country, and about … Read more

Biography of Hon. George B. Rogers

Some men achieve success almost instantaneously, some by slow accretion, others only after long and patient working and waiting. The experience of men who are willing to work persistently and intelligently and wait calmly goes to prove that success may surely be attained during an ordinary lifetime, and no man not cut off at an untimely age need work and wait in vain. These reflections have been suggested by a consideration of the career of Hon. George B. Rogers, receiver of the United States land office at Blackfoot, Idaho, who is one of the most prominent and successful citizens of … Read more

Biographical Sketch of George N. Ifft

George N. Ifft, of the firm of Ifft & Wallin, proprietors and managers of the Pocatello Tribune, is a native of Butler County, Pennsylvania, born January 27, 1865. He began newspaper work, as a reporter, in Pittsburg, that state, and continued in that capacity and in various editorial relations in other cities, as Washington, D. C, Chicago, Denver, Salt Lake City and San Francisco, until January 1, 1893, when he came to Idaho, locating at Pocatello, and since that time he has been connected with the Pocatello Tribune, as more fully described in our sketch of that paper. Mr. Ifft … Read more

Biography of Charles Adolph Alisky

Charles Adolph Alisky was born near Frankfort-on-the-Main, Germany, October 6, 1840, and is a descendant of an old and highly honorable German family which for several generations has resided at or in the immediate vicinity of the place of his nativity. His father, William Alisky, was a native of Mayence, and early in life exhibited rare musical talent, at the age of seven years playing a flute solo at a concert in Mayence. His genius for music attracted the attention of the Grand Duke of Hessia under whose protection he was sent to the Conservatory of Music at Paris. Here … Read more

Biographical Sketch of Archibald W. Thomson

Thomson, Archibald W.; vessel transportation; born, Philadelphia, 1872; son of William and Isabella Wilson Thomson; educated High School, Philadelphia; University of Pennsylvania, but did not graduate; former member Troop A; nine years Pacific Coast agt. American Steel Barge Co., San Francisco and Puget Sound; in 1899, came back to Cleveland, and associated himself with The Wilson Transit Co.; pres. and mgr. The Wilson Transit Co.; director and treas. The Volunteers Transit Co., and The Thomas Wilson Land Co.; member Union, and Country Clubs.

Biography of John Krall

Few lives have been more active or more thoroughly filled with incidents of interest and of unusual nature than has that of John Krall, one of the pioneers of Idaho, and for about thirty-five years a resident in the vicinity of Boise City. Now a wealthy man, he is indebted to himself alone for his fortune, for he started out in youth to fight the battle of life, a poor boy, and by the exercise of industry and perseverance, in the face of great difficulties, he came off victor over all. Mr. Krall is a native of Germany, born December … Read more

Biography of Joseph Alexander

There is ever an element of interest in the history of a self-made man, one who starts out in life empty-handed and wrests fortune from an adverse fate. Obstacles and difficulties are encountered, but to the man of resolute purpose these but call for renewed effort and serve as stepping stones to something higher. The life record of Mr. Alexander stands in exemplification of what may be accomplished in this free land of ours, where the man of ambition and determination is unhampered by caste or class. He was born in Adelsheim, in the grand duchy of Baden, Germany, on … Read more

Biography of Hon. Cornelius H. Hanford

HON. CORNELIUS H. HANFORD. – The subject of this sketch, although a young man, is one of the pioneers of Washington. He was born in the town of Winchester, Van Buren county, Iowa, on the 21st of April 1849. His father was a well-to-do farmer at that place. The gold discoveries in California soon attracted attention to the Pacific coast; and in 1853 he resolved to dispose of his Iowa property and seek a new home on Puget Sound, where his two brothers Seymour and George then were. Accordingly in the spring of that year he started with his entire … Read more

Biography of Walter Allen Jones

This gentleman is the senior member of the law firm of Jones & Morphy, of Wallace, and holds a position of distinctive precedence at the bar of northern Idaho, by reason of his eminent ability as counsel and advocate. He was born in Pottsville, Pennsylvania, May 5, 1855, and is a son of Joseph D. and Catherine A. (Kaercher) Jones, both of whom were natives of Pennsylvania and spent their entire lives in that state, as had their ancestors since early colonial days. The father died at the age of forty-five years, and the mother was called to her final … Read more

Biography of James Wilson

A man who has fought his country’s battles in two wars, manifesting in it all a courage never excelled and rarely equaled, constant in all kinds of frontier and seafaring life for many years, a pioneer to this valley and one of the most intrepid and daring men in Wallowa County, facing the bloodthirsty savages in the time of their war here, the subject of this sketch is eminently fitted to appear in honorable mention in any history of the county or of the northwest, and it is with pleasure that we grant him space in our volume. James Wilson … Read more

Biographical Sketch of N. E. Duncan

It is with pleasure that we are enabled to write concerning the estimable gentleman whose name is at the head of this article, since he has been one of the potent factors in the development of Harney county, has manifested wisdom and enterprise in all his ways here, has labored as a true pioneer in many other sections of the country and has always manifested the same unswerving integrity, moral uprightness and sound principles, having sustained a reputation as an exceptionally reliable man, and ever arraigned on the side of right. Mr. Duncan was born in Williamson county, Illinois, on March … Read more